Lunch Inspiration: Philly Cheesesteaks

It’s impossible to think of the city of Brotherly Love without conjuring its namesake sandwich—alongside thoughts of Bill Cosby, Schoolly D, Rocky Balboa, Allen Iverson, and Freedom. Whether it’s from Geno’s or Pat’s, with provolone or cheese whiz, with a Coke or a cold beer, there’s no right way to eat a Philly cheesesteak. (Okay, actually, there is: with whiz and mushrooms, from Jim’s on South Street, with a drizzle of ketchup and a Chilly iced tea from a cardboard carton, IMHO.)

Like most things in life, the quality of a Philly cheesesteak comes down to the bread, and for whatever reason it’s impossible to find that same perfect, chewy, iconic hero roll elsewhere. For this reason, New York iterations are always somewhat disappointing, but we’re not without our palatable options (hit up the Phil’s Steaks truck for a solid cheesesteak). This afternoon, no matter where you are, we urge you to brave the cold and warm up with your favorite cheesesteak.

Click through the slideshow for pictures of the illest Philly cheesesteaks on the planet.

UPDATE: This post appears to have ignited the passions of some of Philly’s cheesesteak fanatics, who tell us that A) no one from Philadelphia would ever refer to the bread as a “hero roll,” B) many of these are not acceptable cheesesteaks by local standards, and C) we suck. We’ll accept the first two points and offer a mea culpa—still, they look tasty don’t they?! We promise that everyone in the office will be getting a Philly cheesesteak reading list to tackle over the holidays.

Everyone is SHITTING all over that @firstwefeast cheesesteak article now. That intern is SOOOOOOOO fired, lol.